Modular furniture assemblies are known in the art. Typical known furniture assemblies include modular furniture bases that may be set on a floor and serve as platforms for supporting several different auxiliary components. The modular furniture bases and the auxiliary components couple together to build different assemblies of furniture, e.g., a chair, a sofa, a table and so on.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,811,728 describes a furniture base assembly, which has a rectangular bottom edge for sitting on the floor, a rectangular top surface positioned above the bottom edge, and a four-sided wall interconnecting the top surface with the bottom edge. The top surface is recessed with several criss-crossed slots. The top surface is also recessed along the four sides of its perimeter with slender, rectangular openings. For coupling two such modules together, there are inverted-U shaped clips, with legs having cross-sections in the shape of slender rectangles, for insertion one apiece into the slender, rectangular openings of the top surfaces. Thus two modules can be coupled together to build a modular assembly of a furniture base. Some auxiliary components couple with the furniture base to build chair or sofa assemblies, or table, shelf or bed assemblies.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,452,554 to Santana describes a modular furniture construction system employing a main body element consisting of a longitudinal element as well as two secondary body elements extending transversely from the longitudinal element. Each of the secondary body elements is provided with a key-shaped guiding hole in which a fastening device is inserted adapted to join two main body elements together. These main body elements can be joined together in a number of different ways to form, along with one or more support elements, various pieces of furniture, such as chairs, tables, desks shelves and other similar devices.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,039,501 to Ruther describes modular furniture which includes a frame and an insert plate to be mounted in the frame by corner fittings. Each corner fitting is detachably mounted on the insert plate and comprises at least one laterally accessible receptacle parallel to the plane of the plate for a retaining pin mounted on the frame as well as a locking mechanism for the retaining pin to be arrested in the receptacle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,423,597 to Rogers describes a modular furniture assembly for children to build and rebuild their own assemblies of school furniture. The assembly components include, as general categories, base components and interchangeable auxiliary components. The auxiliary components can be releasably coupled with the base components to build school-related assemblies including chair assemblies with adjustably high seating surfaces; a notice board assembly for supporting notices or a chalk board or the like; a stage assembly for theatrical productions; symbol display assemblies, as for displaying the alphabet in block letters; and desk assemblies with adjustably high desk tops. In some embodiments of the present invention, the furniture base is not just a unitary component but an assembly of modules. Accordingly, there are modules which can be releasably coupled together to build a modular assembly of a furniture base. The modular base assembly, in turn, can be releasably coupled with several different auxiliary components to build a variety of assemblies including chair assemblies, desk assemblies, drawing board assemblies, sofa assemblies, and bed assemblies.
Some shortcomings of the prior art relate to the safety of the assemblies. For example, prior art assemblies may have sharp corners which may present a hazard to small children.